Patricia Routledge death: Keeping Up Appearances star dies, aged 96

Keeping Up Appearances star Dame Patricia Routledge has died, aged 96. The actor was best known for playing snobby sitcom character Hyacinth Bucket, pronounced “bouquet”, from 1990 to 1995.

In a statement, Routledge’s agent said: “We are deeply saddened to confirm the passing of Dame Patricia Routledge, who died peacefully in her sleep this morning, surrounded by love.

“Even at 96 years old, Dame Patricia’s passion for her work and for connecting with live audiences never waned, just as new generations of audiences have continued to find her through her beloved television roles. She will be dearly missed by those closest to her and by her devoted admirers around the world.”

Keeping Up Appearances was a huge hit in its heyday, attracting 13 million viewers at its peak and earning the actor national acclaim.

The versatile but modest star, who said she was “not very good at anything”, had a career that took her far beyond the realm of TV sitcoms.

She had a long and varied life on the stage, and at the age of 66, she played the titular pensioner turned detective in Hetty Wainthropp Investigates, a £3m six-part BBC TV crime series.

Born in Tranmere, Cheshire, in 1929, Routledge was educated at Birkenhead High School, the University of Liverpool, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, and the Guildhall School of Music.

As a youngster, she toyed with the idea of being an actor, a singer or a teacher. After being rejected for a scholarship at the Royal Manchester School of Music, she gave up on the idea of a singing career, but she was taken on as an unpaid assistant stage manager by Liverpool Playhouse.

After some months, she was offered a job with the company at £5 a week, making her theatre debut in 1952 as Hippolyta in A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

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